1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image pickup device, and in particular to an image pickup device allowing operation of an operation menu output to an external display device.
2. Related Art
In recent years, miniaturization of digital cameras has been progressed, and in accordance therewith, liquid crystal monitors equipped to the digital cameras are also in a trend of miniaturization. The miniaturization of digital cameras enhances their portability and convenience. And, at the same time, in browsing the pickup image data, too small liquid crystal monitors make it difficult for the user to look at the pickup image data. Further, the user cannot appreciate strong visuals with too small liquid crystal monitors. In order for solving such a problem, there has been developed an image data external output technology for outputting image data stored in a digital camera to an external display device with a large screen such as a television set.
Although it has become possible to output the image data held in the digital camera to the external large screen display device such as TV with the image data external output technology described above, the operation menu and so on can only be operated from the digital camera side. In particular, in an image pickup device adopting the touch panel system as the operation method of the operation menu, the operation menu must be operated from the liquid crystal monitor of the digital camera, and accordingly, the user must look aside from the TV when operating the operation menu. On the contrary, it is convenient to operate the operation menu while watching the TV. As a technology attempting to realize the convenience, there has been proposed a technology for displaying the operation keys on the display screen of the digital camera while displaying the image data on the TV (see, for example, JP-A-2000-341572 (FIG. 1)). In this technology, the digital camera adopts the touch panel system, and can be operated by directly pushing down the operation keys displayed on the liquid crystal monitor of the digital camera. Thus, it is possible to operate the operation menu while watching the image data displayed on the TV.
However, according to the background technology described above, the liquid crystal monitor of the digital camera is used as a dedicated liquid crystal monitor for displaying the operation keys, and it is assumed that the image data held in the digital camera is always output to the TV. It is more convenient that the image data held in the digital camera can be confirmed in the digital camera when the image data is not output to the TV.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an image pickup device which displays the operation keys on a built-in display section in response to connection of the external display device for allowing input of the operation.